Before 1834, the upper and middle classes were taxed on maintaining the poor and it was costly. To make matters worse, the upper and middle classes had prejudices about the poor not having the initiative to look for work and that they're wasting their wealth on lazy people. Then, the Poor Law of 1834 was introduced in hopes of reducing the costs of looking after the poor and hence reducing taxes. The law allowed parishes to form unions which then formed workhouses for the poor to work in. It was the only way that they could get help and unfortunately, the conditions were not adequate. There were many regulations which proved to be uncomfortable, with diets being extreme and even children finding themselves working their life away. Not shortly after, there were many scandals concerning the awful conditions, as well as abuse, being rampant in these workhouses.

Dickens puts homelessness and poverty at the forefront of the novel. Jo is one of the characters who exemplified best on what the lower classes had to go through, which meant they would receive little to no help and when they were offered, usually many would abuse their power over the poor. Even the upper-class characters we are introduced to have prejudices and different mannerisms around those they deemed to be unworthy of their time due to their social class. Once again, this is due to the notion of people either being self-made (poor to middle class) or being part of a lower class in general. The Poor Law not only worsened the conditions for the homeless and lower class, but it was the public acceptance of the selfishness the upper classes have and how the gap is tremendously huge. 

The National Archives. “1834 Poor Law.” The National Archives, The National Archives, 4 Aug. 2020, www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/1834-poor-law/.